June 10, 2016 | Morning Headlines
Somali Federal Government: 240 Al-Shabaab Fighters Killed In Halgan Attack
09 June – Source:Goobjoog News – 126 Words
Somali security minister, Abdirzaq Omar Mohammed has said joint troops killed more than 240 Al-Shabaab fighters in Halgan attack.Hundreds of Al-Shabaab militants tried to storm an Ethiopian military base in Halgan village, some 175 kilometers to north of Somali capital Mogadishu: “From the word of the Somali military commander and the governor of Hiiran region, 240 Al-Shabaab terrorists were killed in today’s Halgan fight.”
AMISOM reported earlier to have killed 120 Al-Shabaab fighters in attack and captured assortments of weapons. In an interview with Goobjoog Radio, the commissioner of Halgan village Guhad Abdi Warsame said he had personally counted at least 197 dead bodies of Al-Shabaab fighters. He said:“We have killed dozens of Al-Shabaab militants; I have personally counted 197 bodies.”
Key Headlines
- Somali Federal Government: 240 Al-Shabaab Fighters Killed In Halgan Attack (Goobjoog News)
- A District Official Gunned Down In Mogadishu (Shabelle News)
- Puntland President Vows Revenge For Victims Of Al-Shabaab Terror (Garowe Online)
- Al-Shabaab Attack in Somalia Sets Off Predawn Gun Battle (New York Times)
- UAE Offers Assistance To South-West State Of Somalia (WAM News Agency)
- UN Representative Condemns Murder Of Journalist In Somalia (Prensa Latina)
- Seeking Stability In Somalia’s Election Season (Africa Report)
NATIONAL MEDIA
A District Official Gunned Down In Mogadishu
09 June – Source: Shabelle News – 160 Words
Unidentified assailants have gunned down a district Official in Mogadishu, the latest in series of targeted killings against Somali government civil servants since the start of the holy month of Ramadhan.The slain officer was identified as Mohamed Jim’ale, but it was not immediately possible to establish why he was killed and by who.
The official was reportedly heading to his house when he was accosted by the pistol wielding gangsters who shot him in the head killing him on the spot, according to eyewitnesses who spoke to Radio Shabelle.Late Jim’ale was the administrator of General Da’ud neighbourhood under Wardhigley district administration before he was executed by the gunmen tonight.
Afterwards, Somali federal government security personnel have arrived on the scene, conducting a search operation nearby in pursuit of killers who escaped right away after the targeted assassinationHowever, no one claimed responsibility for the official’s killing although Al-Shabaab is known to target the western-backed Somali federal government officers.
Puntland President Vows Revenge For Victims Of Al-Shabaab Terror
09 June – Source: Garowe Online – 159 Words
The President of Somalia’s Puntland Government Abdiweli Mohamed Ali has vowed exact revenge for the victims of Al-Shabaab terror attacks in the wake of killing of woman peace activist on Wednesday evening, Garowe Online reports. Ali has delivered remarks at a press conference in the state capital of Garowe upon his return from informal visit to United Arab Emirates.He flew from Bossaso port city before being received by government ministers and parliamentarians at Canoco airstrip on the outskirts of the capital.
Ali touched on a number of topics including political talks in Mogadishu, Dubai trip, Sool clan fighting, fight against terror and the assassination of well-known Somali woman peace activist in central Galkayo town.He expressed optimism on technical preparations ahead of electoral transition expected to be initiated with parliamentary selection process by August this year. He noted that political leaders will once more gather for election talks as a continuity in southwestern Baidoa town on June 20.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Al-Shabaab Attack In Somalia Sets Off Predawn Gun Battle
09 June – Source: New York Times – 388 Words
A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden car into the gates of an African Union base in central Somalia on Thursday, setting off a predawn gun battle between militants and African Union soldiers.The Al-Shabaab militant group, which has been terrorizing Somalia for years, claimed responsibility for the attack in the Hiran region, saying on Somali news media that its fighters had stormed the base and killed dozens of soldiers.It is difficult to know what really happened in the attack. The Al-Shabaab often exaggerate their battlefield successes in their public claims. And the African Union rarely shares details about its confrontations with militants, and has tried in the past to minimize defeats.
Lt. Col. Joe Kibet, an African Union spokesman, said he could not comment on the number of union soldiers who were killed Thursday, but he did say that at least 110 Al-Shabab fighters had died in the attack.“The fighting was heavy,” Colonel Kibet said. “We managed to repulse them with a lot of casualties, including many of them.”
Somali government officials said that 240 Al-Shabaab fighters had been killed and that dead bodies were scattered for miles.
Villagers in the area said they heard a loud explosion before dawn, followed by heavy exchanges of gunfire for at least an hour.Somalia has been steeped in various degrees of chaos and bloodshed since its central government imploded in 1991. In recent years, the Al-Shabaab have emerged as the region’s most powerful and ruthless militant group. The Shabab are allied with Al Qaeda; their goal is to bring their interpretation of Islamic rule to Somalia.
UAE Offers Assistance To South-West State Of Somalia
09 June – Source: WAM News Agency – 217 Words
The UAE has provided various forms of assistance to areas in Southwestern Somalia similar to the support provided to the Federal Republic of Somalia and its various regions.The aid was delivered at the UAE’s Embassy in Mogadishu in the presence of Mohammed Ahmed Othman Al Hammadi, UAE’s Ambassador to Somalia, and Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, President of South West State of Somalia.
The assistance included four pick-up trucks and four-wheel drive, an ambulance, a water tanker, as well as other forms of assistance, including food items, sugar, oil, dates, and rice as part of the Iftar Project, which is implemented by the UAE Embassy in various Somali regions and areas during the holy month of Ramadan.The President of the South West State of Somalia, extended his thanks and appreciation to the UAE for its continued and generous support to the people and the Government of Somalia and its various regions through development and humanitarian projects in different areas.
For his part, Al Hammadi stressed that the UAE will continue to provide support and aid to Somalia and its various regions.He pointed out that the assistance provided by the UAE to the Southwest State of Somalia comes within the framework of the projects offered by the country to support the security and stability in Somalia.
UN Representative Condemns Murder Of Journalist In Somalia
09 June – Source: Prensa Latina – 137 Words
The Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Michael Keating condemned the murder of Somali journalist Osman Salad Sagal on June 5 in this capital, the African agency PanaPress reported today.The reporter, producer and presenter of the National Television and Radio Mogadishu, was shot by unknown gunmen after leaving a local university becoming the first professional killed in the sector so far this year, the source added.
According to Keating, in Somalia journalists are murdered simply for doing their job, an essential role in the exchange of information which must call the government’s attention.Meanwhile, the Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud expressed his commitment to capture the perpetrators and urged the authorities to deploy special efforts in this regard.Osman instantly died victim of the shooting, the attackers fled in the capital district of Hodon.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“The power of incumbency is not as strong in Somalia as it is in other countries. The 2016 vote will put Hassan’s deal- making skills to the test as Al-Shabaab militants seek to hike up the tensions and politicians look to extract as much value as possible out of the uncertainty,”
Seeking Stability In Somalia’s Election Season
09 June – Source: Africa Report- 1560 Words
As election season approaches, Mogadishu is a hot, fortified city, subject to frequent Al-Shabaab attacks and clan and business disputes that end violently. Armoured trucks carrying African Union (AU) troops roll around town as squads of heavily armed men escort bomb-proof SUVs.Mogadishu is mostly a divided town, where donor representatives, embassy officials, the United Nations (UN) diplomats and contractors live bunkered inside the heavily protected airport compound. Outside, life continues beyond the wire. There are the famous fish market, cafés and restaurants on Lido Beach.
Critics says the larger electoral college just means more people to buy off. Meanwhile, villages of bullet-riddled buildings are left decaying after years of intense street fighting.Somalia has not had a popularly elected government since 1969, and this year is set to be no different. After two decades of civil war following the 1991 collapse of Siad Barre’s government, a transitional government and numerous twists and turns, Somalia is experiencing yet another test of whether it is moving in the right direction, not just in who it chooses but in how it chooses.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud – who has fended off impeachment attempts – faces one of the continent’s fiercest and most fragile elections.So far, publicly at least, the fights around the upcoming vote have had more to do with the electoral process than any policy platform or development issue. Winning public support is the least of President Hassan’s concerns, as the election model under debate relies on clan elders and community representatives rather than a popular vote. It also relies on a healthy dose of cash.
Apart from finalising the electoral model, government and business decisions have been unofficially stopped as electioneering ramps up. Parliament is set to endorse the election scheme agreed to by Somalia’s National Leadership Forum in early April. It includes new developments towards a more democratic model, including the establishment of an upper house of parliament. But progress has been marred by months of deadlock over the proposed return to the ‘4.5 quota’ system that would have representatives chosen via the country’s four main clan groups: the Darod, Dir, Hawiye and Digil-Mirifle.